Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Female Commercial Sex Workers in South Korea Who Are Not Intravenous Drug Users

Kweon, Sun‐Seog; Shin, Min‐Ho; Song, Hyeon-Je; Jeon, Doo-Young; Choi, Jin‐Su

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2006.74.1117

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Furthermore, the prevalence of HCV among FSW that we have estimated was close to the values reported in other FSW populations, in which the use of illicit injection drugs was infrequent or null 1,18 , indicating that this virus is not efficiently transmitted by heterosexual intercourse.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Viral hepatitis in female sex workers using the Respondent-Driven Sampling

et al. 2017

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OBJECTIVETo estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus and C virus infections and their genotypes and analyze the risk factors for the markers of exposure to hepatitis B virus in female sex workers in a region of intense sex trade.METHODSThis is a cross-sectional study performed with four hundred and two female sex workers in Goiânia, Brazil. Data have been collected using the Respondent-Driven Sampling. The women have been interviewed and tested for markers of hepatitis B and C viruses. Positive samples have been genotyped. The data have been analyzed using the Respondent-Driven Sampling Analysis Tool, version 5.3, and Stata 11.0.RESULTSThe adjusted prevalence for hepatitis B virus and C virus were 17.1% (95%CI 11.6–23.4) and 0.7% (95%CI 0.1–1.5), respectively. Only 28% (95%CI 21.1–36.4) of the participants had serological evidence of vaccination against hepatitis B virus. Being older (> 40 years), being single, having a history of blood transfusion and use of cocaine, and ignoring the symptoms of sexually transmitted infections were associated with positivity for hepatitis B virus (p < 0.05). We have detected the subgenotype A1 of hepatitis B virus (n = 3) and the subtypes of hepatitis C virus 1a (n = 3) and 1b (n = 1).CONCLUSIONSWe can observe a low prevalence of infection of hepatitis B and C viruses in the studied population. However, the findings of the analysis of the risk factors show the need for more investment in prevention programs for sexual and drug-related behavior, as well as more efforts to vaccinate this population against hepatitis B. The genotypes of the hepatitis B virus and C virus identified are consistent with those circulating in Brazil.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Viral hepatitis in female sex workers using the Respondent-Driven Sampling

et al. 2017

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“…Despite this, a number of studies have reported a higher seroprevalence of HCV infection in CSWs compared to the general population. Seroprevalence studies from different geographical areas have reported a range of anti-HCV levels in female sex workers: including the Democratic Republic of Congo (6.6%), Thailand (2%), Afghanistan (1.9%) and South Korea (1.4%), although, only the latter excluded intravenous drug users from their study [50]–[53].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hepatitis C Virus in Vietnam: High Prevalence of Infection in Dialysis and Multi-Transfused Patients Involving Diverse and Novel Virus Variants

et al. 2012

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a genetically diverse pathogen infecting approximately 2–3% of the world's population. Herein, we describe results of a large, multicentre serological and molecular epidemiological study cataloguing the prevalence and genetic diversity of HCV in five regions of Vietnam; Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and Can Tho. Individuals (n = 8654) with varying risk factors for infection were analysed for the presence of HCV Ab/Ag and, in a subset of positive specimens, for HCV RNA levels (n = 475) and genotype (n = 282). In lower risk individuals, including voluntary blood donors, military recruits and pregnant women, the prevalence of infection was 0.5% (n = 26/5250). Prevalence rates were significantly higher (p<0.001) in intravenous drug users (IDUs; 55.6%, n = 556/1000), dialysis patients (26.6%, n = 153/575) commercial sex workers (CSWs; 8.7%, n = 87/1000), and recipients of multiple blood transfusions (6.0%, n = 32/529). The prevalence of HCV in dialysis patients varied but remained high in all regions (11–43%) and was associated with the receipt of blood transfusions [OR: 2.08 (1.85–2.34), p = 0.001], time from first transfusion [OR: 1.07 (1.01–1.13), p = 0.023], duration of dialysis [OR: 1.31 (1.19–1.43), p<0.001] and male gender [OR: 1.60 (1.06–2.41), p = 0.026]. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high genetic diversity, particularly amongst dialysis and multi-transfused patients, identifying subtypes 1a (33%), 1b (27%), 2a (0.4%), 3a (0.7%), 3b (1.1%), 6a (18.8%), 6e (6.0%), 6h (4.6%), 6l (6.4%) and 2 clusters of novel genotype 6 variants (2.1%). HCV genotype 1 predominated in Vietnam (60%, n = 169/282) but the proportion of infections attributable to genotype 1 varied between regions and risk groups and, in the Southern part of Vietnam, genotype 6 viruses dominated in dialysis and multi-transfused patients (73.9%). This study confirms a high prevalence of HCV infection in Vietnamese IDUs and, notably, reveals high levels of HCV infection associated with dialysis and blood transfusion.

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“…Among a small body of research on HCV among sex workers from non-endemic settings such as Estonia 12 , Argentina 13 , and South Korea 14 , HCV prevalence has been found to be consistently higher than the general population, ranging from 1.4% among sex workers in South Korea to 7.9% in Estonia. Although few studies have assessed predictors of HCV incidence or prevalence among sex workers, previous work suggests that sex workers who are street-involved, criminalized, use drugs, and engage in syringe-sharing are particularly vulnerable to HCV 15,16 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual sexual and drug-related predictors of hepatitis C incidence among sex workers in a Canadian setting: gaps and opportunities for scale-up of hepatitis C virus prevention, treatment, and care

Goldenberg

Montaner

Braschel

et al. 2017

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

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Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. While sex workers (SWs) may face elevated HCV risks through both drug/sexual pathways, incidence data among SWs are severely lacking. We characterized HCV incidence and predictors of HCV seroconversion among women SWs in Vancouver, BC. Methods Questionnaire and serological data were drawn from a community-based cohort of women SWs (2010–2014). Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression were used to model HCV incidence and predictors of time to HCV seroconversion. Results Among 759 SWs, HCV prevalence was 42.7%. Among 292 baseline-seronegative SWs, HCV incidence density was 3.84/100 person-years(PY), with higher rates among women using injection drugs (23.30/100 PY) and non-injection crack (6.27/100 PY), and those living with HIV (13.27/100 PY) or acute STIs (5.10/100 PY). In Cox analyses adjusted for injection drug use, age (HR: 0.94, 95%CI: 0.86–1.01), acute STI infection (HR: 2.49, 95%CI: 1.02–6.06), and non-injection crack use (HR: 2.71, 95%CI: 1.18–6.25) predicted time to HCV seroconversion. Discussion While HCV incidence was highest among women who inject drugs, STIs and non-injection stimulant use appear to be pathways to HCV infections, suggesting potential dual sexual/drug transmission. Integrated HCV services within sexual health and HIV/STI programs are recommended.

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Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Female Commercial Sex Workers in South Korea Who Are Not Intravenous Drug Users

Cited by 26 publications

References 32 publications

Viral hepatitis in female sex workers using the Respondent-Driven Sampling

Viral hepatitis in female sex workers using the Respondent-Driven Sampling

Hepatitis C Virus in Vietnam: High Prevalence of Infection in Dialysis and Multi-Transfused Patients Involving Diverse and Novel Virus Variants

Dual sexual and drug-related predictors of hepatitis C incidence among sex workers in a Canadian setting: gaps and opportunities for scale-up of hepatitis C virus prevention, treatment, and care

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